The city of Atlanta is located on Interstate 55 approximately 10 miles northeast of Lincoln. Originally,
the town was named Xenia and then Hamilton, only to find other towns in Illinois with those names. It eventually was named
Atlanta, after Atlanta, Georgia. The town was a stop in the road for the old US Route 66, and many tourists continue
to make a stop here today. The town's population currently sits at 1,650.

The Atlanta school district was established in the 1800s. Richard Savage tells us the following
about the original Atlanta High School building:

"From
the History of
Logan County by Lawrence B. Stringer, Pioneer Publishing Company of Chicago, the
original High School in Atlanta was built in 1870. This was the building
destroyed by fire in 1908."

Photos
of the building before and after the fire are shown below. "Left click" on either photo for a larger view.

Atlanta High School Building After Fire 1908

Submitted by Richard Savage

Atlanta High School Building 1870 - 1908

Submitted by Richard Savage

The high school building pictured at the top of this page (circa 1940s) was built in
1909 on the corner of Vine and Sixth Streets after a fire in the summer of 1908 destroyed
the original building. The school was the focal point of the community for nearly 70 years and holds
a special place in the hearts of those who walked her halls. Dave Kindred, class of 1959, and a member of Atlanta's
only regional championship basketball team, fondly says, "I loved that place ... I can still hear the polished wooden
floors squeaking."

In 1972 the towns of Atlanta, Armington, Danvers, Minier, Hopedale, Waynesville,
Stanford, and McLean consolidated their school districts to form the Olympia School District.
The high school for Olympia is located near Stanford.

The
Atlanta High School building no longer stands. After being deactivated in 1972 the building was used
as the grade school until it was demolished in 1980. The gymnasium that housed the Redwings' teams for parts
of five decades was kept intact and attached to the new Atlanta Grade School building, which in 2004 was transformed
into Olympia South Grade School.

Atlanta High School "Quick Facts"

Year
High School Opened: 1800s

Year High School Closed:
1972

Year H.S. Building Demolished: 1980

Team Nickname:
the "Redwings"

School Colors:
Red & White

School Fight Song: Loyal
to You A.C.H.S.

(Taken from the personalized scrapbook
of Lynn Hieronymus, 1950.)

(Click the Play Button below "ATHLETICS" below and to the left and sing
along!!)

We're
loyal to you A.C.H.S.

We're
red and white, A.C.H.S.

We'll
back you to stand

'Gainst
the best in the land

For
we know you have sand, A.C.H.S.

Rah!
Rah!

So
crack out the ball, A.C.H.S.

We're
backing you all, A.C.H.S.

Our
team is our fame protector:

On!
Boys for we expect a

Victory
from you A.C.H.S.!

Che-he,
cha-ha, cha-ha-ha-ha,

Atlanta,
Atlanta,

Rah, Rah,
RAH!

Fling
out that dear old flag of

Red
and White,

Lead
on your sons and daughters

Fighting
for you

Like
men of old, on giants.

Placing
reliance, shouting defiance

Oskee-wow-wow---------

Amid
the broad green plains that nourish our land,

For
honest Labor and for Learning we stand.

And
unto thee we pledge our heart and our hand,

Dear
Alma Mater, Atlanta High!

ATHLETICS

BOYS BASKETBALL

The boys' basketball team was the staple sport of Atlanta High School. One of the highlights of the
school's basketball history was the Redwings of 1958-59. The team is held in high esteem decades later by townfolk for
a season that brought a touch of "Hoosiers" to the heart of small-school basketball in Illinois. The team won
the school's only Regional Championship that year and in the process defeated their big neighbors from the south, Lincoln
High School.

After reeling off 29 straight wins, the '58-'59 Redwings completed their season with an
incredible 29 wins and 1 loss. In the Regional Championship game the Atlanta boys beat the mighty Lincoln Railsplitters
84 - 80, ending Lincoln's 10-year reign as Regional Champs. The Redwings toed the line, making good
on 32 of 39 attempts from the charity stripe; Lincoln made just 12 free pitches. Atlanta was led by its two senior all-conference
players Larry Rodgers (23 points) and Marvin Hulva (21). Junior Wayne Turner
added 15 points, junior John Quiram 14 and senior Dave Kindred had 11.

Think about this, 155 points in 64 minutes. Armington had tried to slow down the Runnin
'Redwings to no avail in the Regional opener, a game won by Atlanta 71-39. The Redwings faced sickness and injuries to key
personnel in the Sectionals, where they lost for the first time to Jacksonville. Jacksonville would lose to Springfield, who
went on to win the one-class state championship.See the team photo and list of players above.

School Spirit!

Imagine standing or sitting on the stage, decorated with the big red "A", overlooking the gym at
half court as your favorite players like Gordie Hamblin, Jim Ash, Terry Rich, Weldon "Cork" Cheek, Dave Kindred, and
Larry Rogers ran the court, making the hometown fans wild with excitement. It must have been a great atmosphere
to play and cheer in. Each Redwing wore his red Atlanta letter jacket with pride!!

There were other great teams at Atlanta with the best listed below.

Boys Basketball

Several scores involving Atlanta High School in the IHSA State Tourney were located on a website titled
"Illinois High School Postseason Basketball Scores", these scores are listed below as well.

**Final game for the Atlanta High School Redwings.
Consolidated to Stanford Olympia High School in the summer of 1972.

In a December 19, 1946 game against McLean, the Redwings attempted 53 free-throw shots, the most in school
history.

The number 53 comes into play once again as the point total of one of Atlanta's best players in the early-to-mid
1960s, Lance Rogers. In a December 15, 1964 game against Wapella, Rogers scored 53 points with 27 of them coming in the first
quarter. That's the highest individual point total achieved in a game by any Redwing player.

Boys Baseball

The boys baseball teams also had many successful seasons. The best of these seasons included the
1963-64 and 1965-66 seasons. The season records of these teams is not listed nor is the coach, however according
to the IHSA web site (www.ihsa.org) these two teams earned Regional Championships.

1963-64 N.R.A. Regional Champions
Coaches names unavailable

1965-66 N.R.A. Regional Champions

Track and Field

Out of the many great athletes who walked the halls of Atlanta High School the following Redwings faired
the best in Track and Field, all placing in the Illinois High School Association State Track Meet. Earl Mountjoywas responsible for the 1907 Atlanta team's 4th Place finish at the State Meet.Jack Freeston
obviously sticks out in the early 1930s as the premier weight man in the state. He led the AHS thinclads
to a 5th place finish in 1933 and a 6th place finish in the 1934 state track meet!

1902
2/3 Mile Relay Team 2nd Place

Team Members Included:

Everett Pumpelly, Will Dowdy,

Ed
Gebhardt, and Ed Schindler

Team
lost only to Chicago South Division HS

1905 Martin Dowdy Standing Broad Jump
3rd Place

1906 Martin Dowdy High Jump
3rd Place

1907Team Placed FOURTH (4th) at
the State Track Meet

Individual Medalist

Earl Mountjoy 440 Yard Dash
STATE CHAMPION

Earl Mountjoy Hammer Throw 2nd
Place

1907 Final Team Standings - State Track Meet

1.) Oak Park-River Forest - 18

2.) Chicago University - 14.5

3.) Chicago Englewood - 10

4.) ATLANTA -
8

5.)
Chicago Lakeview - 6

Champaign - 6

7.) Chicago North Div. - 5.5

8.) Chicago Phillips - 5

Normal, Greenefield, Joliet,

McKinley,
Moline

1912 Huber Hammer
Throw 3rd Place

1932 Jack Freeston Shot Put
3rd Place

Jack Freeston Discus
5th Place

1933Team Placed FIFTH (5th) at the State Track Meet

Individual Medalist

Jack Freeston Shot
Put STATE CHAMPION

Jack Freeston Discus
STATE CHAMPION

1933 Final Team Standings
- State Track Meet

1.)
Rockford - 18

2.) Maywood
Proviso - 16.5

3.) Oak Park-R. F. - 12

4.)
Glen Ellyn - 10.5

5.) ATLANTA - 10

Centralia - 10

Tuscola - 10

8.) Chicago Hyde Park - 9

9.) Galesburg - 8.5

Winnetka New Trier - 8.5

1934Team Finished Sixth (6th) in the State Track Meet

Individual Medalist

Jack Freeston Shot
Put STATE CHAMPION

Jack Freeston Discus 2nd
Place

1934 Final Team Standings
- State Track Meet

1.) Winnetka New Trier - 19

2.) Sterling
- 15

Rockford - 15

4.) Chicago Englewood - 10.5

5.) Centralia -
9.5

6.)
ATLANTA - 9

Kankakee (Sr.) - 9

8.) Carrier Mills - 7

Chicago Tilden - 7

10.)
Evanston - 6.5

Girls Bowling

Atlanta deactivated in the tail end of the time when Girls Athletics were starting to form in high schools in Illinois.
Atlanta did compete in pre-Title IX "Postal Tournaments". In the Bowling tournaments, schools with participating teams tried
to get the best bowling scores they could muster and the results were mailed (hence "postal") to the IHSA and the winner was
determined by which team had the highest overall team score (similar to the more common Basketball postal tournaments). Atlanta's
team placed second in this tournament in 1968.

Great Coaches

Two men left an outstanding legacy on Atlanta High School athletics, Phil McCullough
(pictured below) and Eldridge "Doc" Kinsey.

Lynn Hieronymus, AHS class of 1950, writing in a 1981 memoir, eight years before Hieronymus'
passing, noted McCullough's "emphasis of discipline and in using one's head."

In Kinsey's first six seasons at the school (1954 - 1960) his basketball teams compiled
a cumulative record of 129 - 37! Kinsey came back after a brief rest to coach basketball for three more
seasons winning 40 more ball games. He had school spirit, always known for wearing his famous red bow tie. Kinsey's overall
record at Atlanta was an awesome 169 - 71.

Famous Alumni

Dave Kindred, a player on the 1959 Regional Championship team, loved basketball and all
sports in general. In fact he loved them so much he continued his sports mentality and made a career out of it. Dave
Kindred is a nationally reknown columnist for "The Sporting News" after stints at three of the country's foremost
newspapers. He has authored seven books, including a dual biography of Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell. Through all
his many travels, Kindred keeps a part of AHS close to his heart. Upon returning home in 2004, he found the doors to the gym
open. He walked in, took a seat on the top row of the four-row bleachers and sat there for nearly a half hour. The memories
flowed for sure.

Special thanks to:

Ruth Ann Hieronymus, Atlanta librarian, for her research.

Norma Adams Price and Paul A. Adams for their
pictures and history in their outstandin book, "More Momentous Happenings in Atlanta, Ill. - 1876-2003".

All the great Redwings players and coaches who made all these
special moments happen.

Seeking Further information

If you have further information you would like to share regarding Atlanta High School please submit
a School Submission Form or Guest Commentary Form. You may also write us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or via postal mail at:

Illinois HS Glory Days

6439 N. Neva St.

Chicago, Il. 60631

Members of the 1945-46 Atlanta High School Redwings (below,right) are: